Discover where you can find Monday, Tuesday, or Saturday on the map

From Monday to Sunday: what do you think, is it possible to explore geography throughout the entire week? The names of some towns didn’t arise from the surrounding landscape or the names of their founders but from the rhythm of daily life. Market days defined when trading occurred, while belief reminded people of their rest days. Sometimes, it was simply enough to count how many villages came before. This results in names that today sound like entries in a diary—yet they still reflect what an ordinary week looked like for our ancestors. Let’s discover these names with Kudy z nudy!

Monday

Monday is the day that comes “after Sunday” — its very name comes from the simple description of the day following a peaceful holiday. In popular belief, however, Monday has gained a reputation as an unpopular start to the workweek. Perhaps that’s why jokes arise that claim if we sit completely still, Monday won’t notice us.

History and the present give this day darker shades as well. Black Monday refers to October 19, 1987, when worldwide stock markets crashed. Meanwhile, Blue Monday is a more modern marketing term for the supposedly most depressing day of the year, which falls on the third Monday of January. Additionally, there is Easter Monday, which holds unique traditions in Czech and Slovak cultures.

The significance of Monday is also found literally on maps. In Slovakia, there was a village named Pondelok, documented as early as 1515; today, it is part of Hrnčiarské Vsi in the Gemer region. And as for a global curiosity? The name of the capital city of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, translates directly to “Monday,” named after the day it hosted markets.

Tuesday

Tuesday is the second day of the week — and the concept of being “second” is reflected in its name. The title originates from the Old Czech word for second, “vterý.” Interestingly, the concept of “second” in time measurement also comes from this root.

You can find it in Czech maps too: Úterý is a small town located in the Plzeň region near Postřelí, and its name recalls the day when markets were held there. In German, the town was known as Neumarkt, meaning “new market,” which further supports its market-based name origin. This charming town features picturesque half-timbered houses and the church of St. John the Baptist and was established during the settlement of border regions in western Bohemia in the late 12th century. Although we don’t have a precise founding date, the town’s market function was evidently so significant that it inspired a name that has lasted through the ages.

Wednesday

Wednesday clearly signifies what it is: the middle of the week. The name arises from an Old Slavic understanding of the week, in which Wednesday symbolized its midpoint. At Kudy z nudy, we can invite you to the centers of the Czech Republic, but if we look on a map, we would find it challenging to locate a village called Středa. However, the name is more common among our neighbors. There are several places named “Středa” in Slovakia: Dunajská Streda, Dolná Streda, Horná Streda, Nitrianska Streda, and Streda nad Bodrogom.

The same holds true in Poland, where you can find towns named Środa Śląska (Silesian Wednesday) and Środa Wielkopolska (Greater Poland Wednesday). Just like in Czech Úterý, these names are also linked to markets, marking the day that regular markets took place there, which would be Wednesday. This trading tradition is echoed in Hungarian names like Dunaszerdahely, Magyarszerdahely, and Bodrogszerdahely, derived from the word szerda (Wednesday).

Thursday

Thursday simply refers to the fourth day of the week, and its name is purely sequential. However, it also has dramatic moments in history. Black Thursday, October 24, 1929, entered the history books as the day of the stock market crash on New York’s Wall Street, which triggered the Great Depression and had profound effects on the global economy.

Thursday has made its mark on the map, especially in Slovakia. Štvrtok, located in the Trenčín district, lies on the right bank of the Váh River, at the foot of the White Carpathians. The name itself suggests that there was a trading spot here during the 12th and 13th centuries, hosting regular Thursday fairs. Other Slovak towns such as Štvrtok na Ostrove, Plavecký Štvrtok, and Spišský Štvrtok have similar name origins, all referencing the day markets were held, namely Thursday.

Friday

Friday is the fifth day of the week, and while it doesn’t differ much from the names of other days, it stands out as a bit of a rebel. Unlike previous days, it breaks the market pattern. In Central Bohemia, Friday got its name not based on market activities — the village was never a municipality and didn’t have market rights. The origin of its name stems from a tale that the village was established by five settlers with five households. Locals thus referred to it as “At Five”, and the name “Pátečtí” eventually could have morphed into the current name. Another explanation suggests it was the fifth village established in the vicinity. Since Friday is the fifth day of the week, why couldn’t the fifth village share the same name?

The name Pátek also appears elsewhere on the map, notably in Poohří. The Pátek nad Ohří castle is a Renaissance summer residence on the Ohře River, later modified in the Baroque style. It still boasts frescoes from the 18th century, a castle chapel, and interiors furnished with historical furniture. Today, it operates as an exhibition and cultural space, hosting summer events, concerts, and even a whimsical exhibition of the Hussite leader Alšík Škrpa.

Friday serves as a reminder that names of villages based on days of the week do not always have to connect to calendars — sometimes it just reflects a simple human need to count.

Saturday

The word Saturday has a different origin than most other days of the week. It comes from the Hebrew shabbat, meaning the day of rest. In the Czech civil calendar, Saturday is considered the sixth day of the week, while in Jewish and traditional Christian contexts, it represents the seventh and final day.

You would search for a pure Sobota on Czech maps in vain; however, towns with slightly similar names like Sobotka and Sobotín have names derived from personal names. For example, the German name for Sobotín is Zöptau. In Slovakia, though, Saturday is directly reflected in town names. Rimavská Sobota denotes the right to hold Saturday markets on the Rimava River. Spišská Sobota is now a city district of Poprad but was historically an independent town. You can also find Saturdays elsewhere in Europe, such as Murska Sobota in Slovenia and Sobota in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. While Czech names are more linked to personal nomenclature, Slovak and other examples revisit the familiar market day theme.

Sunday

Sunday literally means “day of not doing” in Czech. Traditionally, it has been a holiday for rest, associated with worship and family peace, leading to a more straightforward name than some other days of the week.

In contrast to Tuesday or Friday, Sunday hasn’t made it into local names in the Czech context. There are no towns or villages in Czechia named Sunday.

This omission might not be a mere coincidence. While market days endowed towns with practical names based on the day of their markets, Sunday was devoted to rest and spiritual life. Thus, there was little reason to link it with commerce or governance, allowing it to stay present in calendars but absent from maps.

What do the names of the days reveal on maps?

• • The rhythm of the week was once dictated by markets. Many towns received names based on the day regular markets took place — hence the presence of Úterý, Střed, Čtvrtků, and Sobot in Central Europe.

• • The same logic applies in other parts of the world. In Arab cultures, the term souk refers to a market, and the additional part of the name indicates the day: for example, Souk El Tenine (Monday), Souk El Tleta (Tuesday), Souk El Khemis (Thursday), or Souk El Had (Sunday).

• • In some places, faith influenced the names. The word Sunday and the Spanish “domingo” derive from the Latin dies dominica — the Lord’s Day. A classic example is Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, which translates directly to Holy Sunday.

• • And at times, simple human counting played a role. The name Friday as the fifth village or names derived from personal names remind us that not everything revolved around the calendar.